Biennial Budgeting: Background and Legislative History in the 106th Congress

Publication Date: May 2000

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Banking and finance

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Abstract:

Proposals to switch the federal budget process to a two-year timetable have been made several times in recent years. Proponents of biennial budgeting argue that by considering budgetary legislation less frequently, congressional workload can be decreased and oversight enhanced. Although biennial budgeting is practiced by a number of states, questions remain about how such a timetable would operate at the federal level. Proposals for a two-year budget cycle have previously been reported in the Senate in 1988, 1990, 1994, and 1997. Another such proposal, S. 92, was reported by the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee on March 10, 1999 (S.Rept. 106-12). S. 92 calls for the House and Senate to use the first year of each Congress to consider a two-year budget resolution and two-year appropriation bills, and the second year to consider multiyear authorizations and conduct oversight. More recently, biennial budgeting has also been a topic of interest in the House where the Rules Committee conducted a series of hearings on February 16, March 10, and March 16, 2000. This report will be updated to reflect any further actions concerning biennial budgeting in the 106th Congress.